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sothatwasmylife

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I had much earlier in the year reduced from 300mgs of Venlafaxne to 225 but I'm now so plagued with a sense of total pointlessness that I need to be able to induce my brain into imagining that my life is not that totally unbearable...so have increased it, well the morning dose anyway, it just doesn't make any sense trying to deal with that horrible feeling if I can alleviate it ...hopefully I can aim to get back to 225 next year
 
sothatwasmylife said:
I had much earlier in the year reduced from 300mgs of Venlafaxne to 225 but I'm now so plagued with a sense of total pointlessness that I need to be able to induce my brain into imagining that my life is not that totally unbearable...so have increased it, well the morning dose anyway, it just doesn't make any sense trying to deal with that horrible feeling if I can alleviate it ...hopefully I can aim to get back to 225 next year

What is that medication for?
 
Restless soul said:
sothatwasmylife said:
I had much earlier in the year reduced from 300mgs of Venlafaxne to 225 but I'm now so plagued with a sense of total pointlessness that I need to be able to induce my brain into imagining that my life is not that totally unbearable...so have increased it, well the morning dose anyway, it just doesn't make any sense trying to deal with that horrible feeling if I can alleviate it ...hopefully I can aim to get back to 225 next year

What is that medication for?

Venlafaxine's an SNRI antidepressant.
 
Kudos to you for having the insight to understand and take whatever action you needed to stabilize yourself.
 
Depression isn't something that goes away, or gets better, sadly. It is what it is. Those damaged neurons in the brain aren't going to heal. There's no shame in taking the necessary medicine to be able to live with it, and there's no point in aiming for a lower dose than what's required to make you function. 

A diabetic wouldn't say "I need three shots of insulin a day, but I'm trying to get it down to one." We all know that wouldn't turn out well. Just because an illness is in the brain, doesn't mean it's not real or physical, and it doesn't mean you should get by with less medication than what you actually need. If your dose of 300 mg works for you, then stick with it. At least that's my professional opinion, as a nurse who works within psychiatry (and also has chronic depression). 

And I agree completely with Bleed; kudos for recognizing that lowering the dose was a mistake, and getting back to the dose that works.
 
What does it matter what the dose is? The dose that works for you is the dose the works for you. If it works for you, then what is the need to decrease the dose?
 
dokidoki said:
Call me lame, but have you ever tried meditation?!

I second this. Not the type of meditation that forces you to perform certain specific rituals (like sitting cross-legged and closing your eyes), for a specific length of time, but just the state of general mindful presence, where you're watching your thoughts without acting on them or otherwise taking them seriously. You can (and should strive to) do this anywhere ... while pouring yourself coffee or driving along the highway or anything else. It is, if you think about, a way to always be. Not saying it's easy, but ...

Or, as Eckhart Tolle says, "Use the mind, don't let the mind use you. Have a thought, don't let the thought have you."

It can be a very calming realization that thoughts aren't meant to be acted on and harmlessly pass through the stream of consciousness :)
 
Tuathaniel said:
Depression isn't something that goes away, or gets better, sadly. It is what it is. Those damaged neurons in the brain aren't going to heal. There's no shame in taking the necessary medicine to be able to live with it, and there's no point in aiming for a lower dose than what's required to make you function. 

A diabetic wouldn't say "I need three shots of insulin a day, but I'm trying to get it down to one." We all know that wouldn't turn out well. Just because an illness is in the brain, doesn't mean it's not real or physical, and it doesn't mean you should get by with less medication than what you actually need. If your dose of 300 mg works for you, then stick with it. At least that's my professional opinion, as a nurse who works within psychiatry (and also has chronic depression). 

And I agree completely with Bleed; kudos for recognizing that lowering the dose was a mistake, and getting back to the dose that works.

No it wasn't at all a mistake it was successful for several months  but  because the time of year is an extra negative  the load becomes to extreme I don't believe the brain is entirely static and that there are no variations in how a brain responds to a given medication...After new year if I feel it's appropriate I will again reduce down ...I think maintaining an high dose for no good reason is not a good road to go down for a number of reasons, the fastest route to tolerance and if you have more naturally occurring serotonin it can have adverse effects...extreme tiredness which is why I reduced in the first place..but I do agree with the person that said once the damage is done its done...I think I was actually aware of the damage to my brain being created by cronic stress, confusion, and circumstances
 
sothatwasmylife said:
Tuathaniel said:
Depression isn't something that goes away, or gets better, sadly. It is what it is. Those damaged neurons in the brain aren't going to heal. There's no shame in taking the necessary medicine to be able to live with it, and there's no point in aiming for a lower dose than what's required to make you function. 

A diabetic wouldn't say "I need three shots of insulin a day, but I'm trying to get it down to one." We all know that wouldn't turn out well. Just because an illness is in the brain, doesn't mean it's not real or physical, and it doesn't mean you should get by with less medication than what you actually need. If your dose of 300 mg works for you, then stick with it. At least that's my professional opinion, as a nurse who works within psychiatry (and also has chronic depression). 

And I agree completely with Bleed; kudos for recognizing that lowering the dose was a mistake, and getting back to the dose that works.

No it wasn't at all a mistake it was successful for several months  but  because the time of year is an extra negative  the load becomes to extreme I don't believe the brain is entirely static and that there are no variations in how a brain responds to a given medication...After new year if I feel it's appropriate I will again reduce down ...I think maintaining an high dose for no good reason is not a good road to go down for a number of reasons, the fastest route to tolerance and if you have more naturally occurring serotonin it can have adverse effects...extreme tiredness which is why I reduced in the first place..but I do agree with the person that said once the damage is done its done...I think I was actually aware of the damage to my brain being created by cronic stress, confusion, and circumstances the important thing is to be aware of what's taking place and not allow the condition to deteriorate to the point where it becomes a major problem, I was at a point where I needed to prevent any further deterioration cos that just creates more damage.. I've had this condition so long maybe I'm getting a bit better at managing it.. it's the most destructive, undermining, painful condition as anyone who has had full blown cronic episodes will know.
 
May I respectfully ask why you would want to reduce your medication? Depression IMHO is very similar to diabetes, in so far as it is a chemical imbalance that needs treating, why punish your self by getting to a therapeutic dose only to tinker with it. If you required a particular does of insulin, would you change it, if you required a particular dose of Warfarin would you change it? You need your medication to get to a point where other people are without it, no different to any other medical condition.
 
Zevon said:
May I respectfully ask why you would want to reduce your medication? Depression IMHO is very similar to diabetes, in so far as it is a chemical imbalance that needs treating, why punish your self by getting to a therapeutic dose only to tinker with it. If you required a particular does of insulin, would you change it, if you required a particular dose of Warfarin would you change it? You need your medication to get to a point where other people are without it, no different to any other medical condition.

Not all cases of depression require meds to treat.
 
In response to the above, of course they don't, I was merely trying to respond to a post in which someone was trying (IIRC) to manage their own dosage on a prescribed medication. I was simply trying to de-stigmatize the use of antidepressants and put them in context with other medication. I in no way intended to undermine the cause or impact of depression.
 

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